Post stapedotomy hearing.

I had a stapedotomy eleven days ago. Today I had most of the packing removed. There is a little left that will come out on its own. It's hard to tell if there has been an improvement. I'm told my hearing will increase as the weeks go by.
But here's the thing... There seems to be a change in pitch. That is, people kind of sound like munchkins (Wizard of Oz style). While entertaining, I'm hoping it's a passing phase and will correct itself.
Has anyone else experienced this?

I should add that I also have Tinnitus. I think this is making it difficult to access my actual improvement.

From everything I have read, that is a normal response to the surgery. I am now 3 months post op and have learned to take it a day at a time. I still have tinnitus but not quite as loud as pre op. My hearing has really improved over the last couple of weeks although its still a bit muffled in the operated ear. Read all you can on these boards because it really helped me. The drs don't seem to educate their patients on what to expect after surgery. And....stay positive! There's a lot of negative posts but don't get sucked into the negativity! Everyone heals at a different rate...it just takes time!

From everything I have read, that is a normal response to the surgery. I am now 3 months post op and have learned to take it a day at a time. I still have tinnitus but not quite as loud as pre op. My hearing has really improved over the last couple of weeks although its still a bit muffled in the operated ear. Read all you can on these boards because it really helped me. The drs don't seem to educate their patients on what to expect after surgery. And....stay positive! There's a lot of negative posts but don't get sucked into the negativity! Everyone heals at a different rate...it just takes time!

Thanks for the reply! Ya, my anxiety on the matter has passed. There is a definite improvement in the volume, but still at a strange pitch. I've been living with tinnitus for a long time, so strange sound is nothing new. I can't wait to be where you are, though.

I have stopped reading the boards altogether. It seems people have a lot of similar issues, but few to none follow up on them. I'm sure they're out there, but it's not the healthiest thing, for me, to be sifting through all the posts. I will update this thread, however, as my progress continues.

I am just a day after surgery, and I cant hear much at all from my operated ear, well at least not from the outside of my body. Everything on the inside has been amplified 100 times. I have tinnitus as well and that is still alive and well in both ears. I guess time will tell.

I had the packing removed yesterday, and so far hearing is definitely not up to pre surgery levels. But as I have read, this may be normal and I hopefully will enjoy an improvement in my hearing. When the surgeon pulled out the packing, which was a little painful, he said everything inside looked like it was healing well. I am looking forward to getting over that awkward something stuffed in my ear feeling.

About a week after my followup hearing test, I blew my nose. My hearing went from bad to good in a second. I must have had some sort of fluid buildup in my ear that got cleared out. Since then my hearing has been improved. A hearing test yesterday confirmed my hearing is now better in my right ear (the surgically repaired ear) vs my left. I can say I am not crazy about the way things sound, the sound quality is very tinny, but I am definitely hearing more of everything than I was before the surgery. The tinnitus also seems to be less now post op than pre op.

Having said that, I am going to wait a while before I decide if I want to do the left ear. While this was not really a painful procedure, and I fortunately suffered none of the "normal" side effects, its been such an emotional roller coaster, I am not sure I want to experience that again.